DOHA: The Supreme Education Council (SEC) is planning to make pre-school (kindergarten) and secondary education mandatory for all Qatari children.
Once early education has been made compulsory, parents will be required to enrol their children in kindergartens at the age of three. Primary education in Qatar starts at the age of five.
The SEC set up the first kindergartens as part of the Independent school system during the 2008-2009 academic year.
Currently, there are 58 KGs associated with Independent schools and another 10 KGs have been planned in the next academic year, which begins in September, SEC said in a statement yesterday.
Primary education is mandatory in Qatar and now the authorities are laying more emphasis on early education as well as secondary education. “Early education is based on the concept of learning through play. Psychologists have found that this is highly important for the development of children, especially their language skills. Once they become fluent in their first language, it will be easy for them to learn other languages,” said the statement.
SEC added that early education will better prepare children for entry into schools. Pre-school education is fast gaining popularity among Qatari and expatriate populations, with establishment of several state-funded and private kindergartens across the country. The KG system in Qatar is based on a two-year curriculum with much emphasis on outdoor activities.
The SEC said it had made it mandatory for all kindergartens to have an attached playground, besides having outdoor activity rooms. Such facilities should also meet safety and health standards. Of the 58 kindergartens associated with Independent schools, 49 have separate buildings. Each accommodates 150 to 300 children, with three subjects — science, arts and language. English language is part of the curriculum.
The facilities in a kindergarten include classroom, library, music room and two activity rooms — indoor and outdoor and a playground. Computers, story books and CDs are an integral part of the learning process, the SEC said.
The SEC last year unified the resource books for all kindergartens associated with Independent schools. All KG and preparatory (KG2) teachers have been undergoing training.
The Peninsula
